Much like her predecessor Jane Tennyson (Helen Mirren) on the U.K. version, Timoney is a brash, no-nonse... Show More »

Much like her predecessor Jane Tennyson (Helen Mirren) on the U.K. version, Timoney is a brash, no-nonsense detective fighting hard in her all-male precinct. It's a character study disguised as a cop procedural. « Less

Because the quiet Linden is utterly flawed - one broken marriage, a broken engagement on the way, a misfit... Show More »

Because the quiet Linden is utterly flawed - one broken marriage, a broken engagement on the way, a misfit son. Linden works nose to the grindstone to find the killer. « Less

5/31

Olivia Dunham, 'Fringe':

Despite coming face to face with the experiments thrust on her as a child, Olivia fought for our world. And Fa... Show More »

Despite coming face to face with the experiments thrust on her as a child, Olivia fought for our world. And Fauxlivia fought for hers. « Less

6/31

Jane Rizzoli, 'Rizzoli & Isles':

We love a tough tomboy, and Jane is the ultimate, even if it's hiding a rather baffled, vulnerabl... Show More »

We love a tough tomboy, and Jane is the ultimate, even if it's hiding a rather baffled, vulnerable side that's uncomfortable dealing with life beyond her job as a homicide detective. « Less

7/31

Sara Sidle, Catherine Willows, 'CSI':

They made science and being smart sexy.

8/31

Brenda Johnson, 'The Closer':

As an assistant police chief who transfers from Atlanta to Los Angeles to work at the LAPD, Brenda Johnso... Show More »

As an assistant police chief who transfers from Atlanta to Los Angeles to work at the LAPD, Brenda Johnson uses her Southern charm to break down the feistiest of criminals. She gets at the truth, and she sounds good while doing it. « Less

9/31

Olivia Benson, 'Law & Order: SVU':

Nothing can keep Benson down. Not her troubled family, not a suspension, not an assault. She just ke... Show More »

Nothing can keep Benson down. Not her troubled family, not a suspension, not an assault. She just keeps moving. « Less

10/31

Precious Ramotswe, 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency':

Ramotswe runs the only female-headed detective agency in Botswana. Her in... Show More »

Ramotswe runs the only female-headed detective agency in Botswana. Her initial cases aren't for the highest of stakes, but she puts her keen observational powers to good work in helping her clients and does it with plenty of charm. « Less

11/31

'Veronica Mars':

Because she's Nancy Drew crossed with Philip Marlowe. Working for her private-eye dad (Enrico Colantoni), Veronic... Show More »

Because she's Nancy Drew crossed with Philip Marlowe. Working for her private-eye dad (Enrico Colantoni), Veronica solved everything from smallish scandals at her high school to the gruesome murder of her best friend, dispatching great one-liners along with justice. « Less

12/31

Jane Tennison, 'Prime Suspect':

She makes some big-time sacrifices in order to thrive in a male-dominated field, and even though her pe... Show More »

She makes some big-time sacrifices in order to thrive in a male-dominated field, and even though her persistence eventually causes her to lean on alcohol, the series ended with her owning up to the addiction. « Less

13/31

Claudette Wyms, 'The Shield':

As an honest cop in a corrupt precinct, Claudette practically had "world-weary" etched on her face. Despi... Show More »

As an honest cop in a corrupt precinct, Claudette practically had "world-weary" etched on her face. Despite dealing with a bevy of rogue cops, her own lupus and the petty politics of the LAPD, she remained committed to her job and did it well. « Less

14/31

Grace Hanadarko, 'Saving Grace':

She knows how to have a good time, loves animals, is loyal to a fault to family and friends, reads sus... Show More »

She knows how to have a good time, loves animals, is loyal to a fault to family and friends, reads suspects like no other, and is comfortable with her sexuality, which is why she has slept with practically every good man she's encountered. Plus she's the favorite project of a divine dude named Earl. « Less

15/31

Debra Morgan and Maria LaGuerta, 'Dexter':

Deb's foul mouth would make a sailor blush, and although she has a tough swagger, she... Show More »

Deb's foul mouth would make a sailor blush, and although she has a tough swagger, she's usually quite confused, vulnerable and ultimately adorable. Maria is authoritative and borderline annoying, but she's also tragic because all the people she gets close to are killed off or are killers themselves. It's a shame Deb had to kill LaGuerta. « Less

16/31

Dani Reese, 'Life':

The former undercover narcotics agent may have her demons -- like drugs, alcohol and a dad who may or may not have ... Show More »

The former undercover narcotics agent may have her demons -- like drugs, alcohol and a dad who may or may not have had something to do with setting her current partner up for life in prison, but she doesn't let that interfere with her Zen partner Charlie Crews' back. « Less

17/31

Juliet O'Hara, 'Psych':

Because she loves her job the way a kid loves Christmas Eve. What other cop would don a roller derby unifo... Show More »

Because she loves her job the way a kid loves Christmas Eve. What other cop would don a roller derby uniform for an assignment, or her old prom dress to cover a death at a high-school reunion? What other policewoman can get all the pop-culture references a fake psychic and his sidekick throw at her? « Less

18/31

Nora Charles, 'The Thin Man':

Wealthy Nora is everything former private detective Nick Charles could want in a wife: classy, snarky and... Show More »

Wealthy Nora is everything former private detective Nick Charles could want in a wife: classy, snarky and more than willing to indulge his taste for martinis. She's also incredibly intelligent, and often pushes Nick to take cases so she can out-think the bad guys. « Less

19/31

Karen Sisco, 'Out of Sight' and 'Karen Sisco,':

In both her movie and TV incarnations, U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco combined smar... Show More »

In both her movie and TV incarnations, U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco combined smart, sexy and tough in a way that made her incredibly appealing. "Out of Sight" is still Lopez's best movie role, and Gugino and "Karen Sisco" were among the more unfortunate casualties of the pre- "Desperate Housewives"/"Lost" era on ABC. « Less

They brought female cops into the 1990s, showing us that the ... Show More »

They brought female cops into the 1990s, showing us that the fairer sex can be just as tough as the men. « Less

21/31

'Cagney and Lacey':

They were trailblazers on TV -- very few dramas (let alone cop shows) before the show premiered in 1982 had focused... Show More »

They were trailblazers on TV -- very few dramas (let alone cop shows) before the show premiered in 1982 had focused on two female leads. They were tough when they needed to be but not so much so that they had no lives outside the job. « Less

22/31

Dana Scully:

It was always interesting to watch her paranormal investigations intersect with her Catholic faith.

23/31

'Nancy Drew':

Conceived as a female counterpart to the Hardy Boys back in the 1930s, our "titian blonde" heroine has loads of moxie and... Show More »

Conceived as a female counterpart to the Hardy Boys back in the 1930s, our "titian blonde" heroine has loads of moxie and retro flair. Who cares if her sleuthing ways are more a product of not having a strong mother figure in her life? « Less

24/31

'V.I. Warshawski':

A lean, mean white-collar-crime-fighting machine, Vic prefers jeans and sweats to dresses, sleeps in the nude and fa... Show More »

A lean, mean white-collar-crime-fighting machine, Vic prefers jeans and sweats to dresses, sleeps in the nude and favors the greasiest of breakfasts. What's not to like?

Velma got all the press for putting together obvious clues, but Daphne was the real heroine: She put hersel... Show More »

Velma got all the press for putting together obvious clues, but Daphne was the real heroine: She put herself in danger constantly, often enduring capture, so the rest of the gang could catch the masked menace of the week. « Less

26/31

'Mrs. Columbo':

Riding on the coattails of the successful "Columbo" series, NBC created "Mrs. Columbo" starring Mulgrew. Though the sho... Show More »

Riding on the coattails of the successful "Columbo" series, NBC created "Mrs. Columbo" starring Mulgrew. Though the show later lost its affiliation with the original series (and was renamed "Kate Loves a Mystery"), Mulgrew's Mrs. Columbo was a smart and savvy working mother and newspaper reporter. Her investigative skills led her to uncover a suburban prostitution ring and other small-town crimes, and she still had time to be a nurturing mother to young daughter Jenny.

There's some debate as to whether Harriet is actually a spy or merely a snoop. Either way, her dead-on observat... Show More »

There's some debate as to whether Harriet is actually a spy or merely a snoop. Either way, her dead-on observations and constant scribblings make her super secret notebook a must-read. « Less

28/31

Jessica Fletcher, 'Murder She Wrote':

This retired teacher-turned-mystery author had an uncanny ability to figure out cases that left p... Show More »

This retired teacher-turned-mystery author had an uncanny ability to figure out cases that left police scratching their heads. She also has survived living in the fictional Cabot Cove, Maine, which must have the highest murder rate of any small town in the world. « Less

Because without these ladies, we wouldn't have the rest of this gallery. « Less

30/31

Sister Stephanie 'Steve' Oskowski, 'Father Downling Mysteries':

Father Frank Dowling (Tom Bosley) was the star, but he was no... Show More »

Father Frank Dowling (Tom Bosley) was the star, but he was nothing without his tough, street-wise nun pal, Sister Stephanie Oskowski. Dont be fooled by this lady of the cloth, as she could pass for a city cabbie or a member of the British upper crust with ease. « Less

31/31

Miss Marple, the 'Marple' series:

Miss Jane Marple may do "old lady" things like knit and pull weeds, but she's not easily intimid... Show More »

Miss Jane Marple may do "old lady" things like knit and pull weeds, but she's not easily intimidated, is comfortable around dead bodies and has a very sharp mind. « Less